Jalen Smith vs Kyle Kuzma: who to start in Week 1
Jalen Smith plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kyle Kuzma 3. For that week alone, start Kyle Kuzma: 72.8 projected fantasy points to 72.4 for Jalen Smith. Over the season, Kyle Kuzma leads in points leagues (24.3 fantasy points a game to 24.1) and Jalen Smith in 9-cat leagues (120th against 204th). The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 and 2026-27 box scores, not ADP.
Updated Oct 24, 8:26 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- Points leagues
- #147
- 24.1 FP/G, slot 13.03, $3
- 9-cat leagues
- #120
- -1.7 z, slot 10.12, $5
The pick in 9-cat leagues.
- Points leagues
- #145
- 24.3 FP/G, slot 13.01, $3
- 9-cat leagues
- #204
- -3.8 z, slot 17.12
The pick in points leagues.
The call
Points leagues: Kyle Kuzma. 24.3 fantasy points per game against 24.1, 145th on our board to 147th.
9-cat leagues: Jalen Smith instead, -1.7 in summed z-scores against -3.8 (120th to 204th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Category by category, Jalen Smith is ahead in 6 (REB, BLK, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and Kyle Kuzma in 3 (PTS, AST and STL).
Per 36 minutes, Jalen Smith produces more: 41.9 fantasy points to 33.0, on 20.8 minutes a night against 26.4. He does it in fewer minutes, so a bigger role would widen the gap.
Jalen Smith plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kyle Kuzma 3. For that week alone, start Kyle Kuzma: 72.8 projected fantasy points to 72.4 for Jalen Smith.
Slots are where our board's order lands in a 12-team snake draft (round.pick), and dollars are auction value over replacement for 12 teams with $200 each. Neither is ADP: no free draft-position feed lets us republish it.
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Per game, side by side
| Per game | Jalen Smith | Kyle Kuzma |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 24.1 | 24.3 |
| Minutes | 20.8 | 26.4 |
| PointsPTS | 10.7 | 12.6 |
| ReboundsREB | 7.1 | 4.9 |
| AssistsAST | 1.2 | 2.8 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 0.8 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Threes3PM | 1.5 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 49.3% | 47.8% |
| Free throw %FT% | 75.9% | 70.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 0.9 | 1.7 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 53 | 69 |
Bold is the better number. The line blends 2025-26 with 2026-27 games as they are played, the same numbers the rankings use.
Per 36 minutes
| Per 36 | Jalen Smith | Kyle Kuzma |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 41.9 | 33.0 |
| Points | 18.6 | 17.1 |
| Rebounds | 12.4 | 6.6 |
| Assists | 2.1 | 3.8 |
| Steals | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Blocks | 1.3 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 2.6 | 1.7 |
| Turnovers | 1.6 | 2.3 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
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9-category z-scores
| Category | Jalen Smith | Kyle Kuzma |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -1.0 | -0.6 |
| ReboundsREB | +0.6 | -0.4 |
| AssistsAST | -1.2 | -0.4 |
| StealsSTL | -1.2 | -0.7 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.1 | -0.7 |
| Threes3PM | -0.1 | -0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | +0.1 | -0.1 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | -0.2 | -0.7 |
| TurnoversTO | +1.1 | +0.2 |
| Total | -1.7 | -3.8 |
Each number is standard deviations above or below the top 156 players (a 12-team league's rosters). Field goal and free throw percentage are weighted by attempts, and turnovers count against.
If you punt a category
No punt changes the answer: Jalen Smith stays ahead whichever category you give up.
| Punt | Jalen Smith | Kyle Kuzma |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | -0.8 (#98) | -3.2 (#229) |
| REB | -2.5 (#165) | -3.7 (#234) |
| AST | -0.6 (#76) | -3.5 (#223) |
| STL | -0.6 (#77) | -3.2 (#195) |
| BLK | -2.2 (#142) | -3.4 (#190) |
| 3PM | -1.6 (#119) | -3.5 (#205) |
| FG% | -2.1 (#129) | -4.2 (#215) |
| FT% | -1.5 (#115) | -3.2 (#182) |
| TO | -3.0 (#141) | -4.1 (#183) |
Value is the sum of the other eight z-scores, recomputed with the punted category left out of the pool that sets them; the rank is among all 392 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Jalen Smith: 3 games (Wed @TOR, Fri @MIL, Sat WAS), 1 back-to-back.
- Kyle Kuzma: 3 games (Wed @WAS, Fri CHI, Sat @PHI), 1 back-to-back.
Recent games
- Jalen Smith: 34.1 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 24.1 on the board.
- Kyle Kuzma: 26.8 fantasy points a game over his last 2 of 2026-27, against 24.3 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Is Jalen Smith playing tonight? · Is Kyle Kuzma playing tonight?
Common questions
Who is better for the rest of the 2026-27 season, Jalen Smith or Kyle Kuzma?
Points leagues: Kyle Kuzma. 24.3 fantasy points per game against 24.1, 145th on our board to 147th. 9-cat leagues: Jalen Smith instead, -1.7 in summed z-scores against -3.8 (120th to 204th), because the categories pay for a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jalen Smith or Kyle Kuzma?
Category by category, Jalen Smith is ahead in 6 (REB, BLK, 3PM, FG%, FT% and TO) and Kyle Kuzma in 3 (PTS, AST and STL).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jalen Smith or Kyle Kuzma?
Jalen Smith plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), Kyle Kuzma 3. For that week alone, start Kyle Kuzma: 72.8 projected fantasy points to 72.4 for Jalen Smith.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 24, 2026 at 8:26 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number